Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday and unveiled his so-called "victory plan," but there’s no sign any of Ukraine’s Western backers will support his proposals.
Zelensky’s plan includes five points and three classified sections that he did not make public. The plan is essentially a list of demands that Zelensky has been making of the US and NATO for months. He claimed that if the plan was implemented, Ukraine "may be able to end the war no later than next year."
One point is for Ukraine to receive a formal invitation to join NATO, but there’s no sign the alliance will be willing to do that anytime in the near future, and Ukrainian neutrality will be a key Russian demand for any peace deal.
The plan calls for more air defenses and for NATO countries to help shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, which would mean direct NATO involvement in the war. NATO countries have previously rejected Ukrainian requests to intercept Russian missiles and drones.
Another point in the plan calls for support for Ukraine to use NATO-provided missiles to launch long-range strikes inside Russia, an escalation that would risk nuclear war. So far, the US and the UK have rejected Zelensky’s repeated request for help with long-range strikes.
Ukrainian MP Oleksii Honcharenko, a member of the European Solidarity party, criticized Zelensky’s plan. "First of all, it’s not a plan. Plan means something with concrete steps," he said, according to The Associated Press. "It’s kind of a wish list from Ukraine for our partners, how they can and should support us. And it doesn’t look realistic. We were waiting for some real serious conversation about the situation and the strategy, and this is not that."
Zelensky unveiled the plan as Russia continues to make advances in eastern Ukraine, a reality Honcharenko called "contradictory."
Later on Wednesday, Zelensky spoke by phone with President Biden, but the White House showed no sign that it supported the "victory plan." When asked about it, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "That’s their plan, and let them speak to it."
Despite no clear path to Ukrainian victory, the US still continues to fuel the war, and a Zelenskey aide said Tuesday that American politicians are pressuring the Ukrainian government to lower the conscription age to 18.
During the call with Zelensky, Biden announced a new $425 million weapons package for Ukraine. According to the Pentagon, it includes the following:
- Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
- RIM-7 missiles and support for air defense
- Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- Air-to-ground munitions
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition
- Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
- High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs)
- Small arms and ammunition
- Grenades, thermals, and training equipment
- Demolitions equipment and munitions
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation